Before I Knew You
by MunchlaxMage
Summary: An idea of Severus Snapes Childhood. This is my first fanfic so please review.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Before I Knew You

It was cold outside in Spinner's End, and the young boy shivered. He silently wished he could go back inside the house to get himself something warmer to wear, but he couldn't stand to even hear the vicious argument that had erupted in his house. The moon had started to appear in the sky, but it would be pitch black outside before the argument had stopped and the boy would be able to slip back inside the eerily quiet house.

The streetlights started to flare up as the sky darkened, making artificial light spill over the cobbles. Silence came from the house, and the boy was gone, ran straight to his room, and cried himself to sleep for the fourth time this week.

School was no better. He was simply known as 'That Boy from Spinner's End' and was bullied mercilessly because his parents couldn't –or wouldn't – buy the uniform he needed. Not that it would make a difference, he often thought, he just wanted to fit in, but fitting in was impossible when strange things often happened around you. These little 'incidents' as they were often called by the Headmistress, were all put down to the fact that the boy was a born troublemaker, yet these strange occurrences happened without warning and often confused the teachers at his school. The next day, Joseph Morgan threw a piece of orange at the boy, and was instantly shocked when his nose turned the colour orange. This was the final straw for the headmistress and contacted the boy's parents. The school nurse explained sheepishly to an irate Mr. and Mrs. Morgan that 'It must be hormones' and neither adult seemed to disagree, life was too short to be wondering about orange noses when there was a mortgage to pay.

That night on Spinner's End was the worst the boy had ever seen his parents argue. His father repeatedly roared that 'His only son is a freak like his mother'; while his mother cowered in a corner, crying and screaming back at him. The boy couldn't run from this confrontation; his father had locked the door to prevent his son's escape. His father shouted at him, over and over again, how? The boy could not answer that question; he had no idea himself how Joseph's nose had turned orange. His answer was not the one his father wanted to hear, the boy was shut in his room. He tried to sleep, but the sounds of his parents rapidly escalating argument made sleep impossible.

The boy shuddered as the noise from downstairs became still, punctuated by the front door slamming and muffled sobs. The boy recognized his mother's voice and left his bed to see if she was well. As he entered the dank, gloomy room his mother beckoned him over. He sat on the floor in front of the armchair she was slumped in. He turned his full attention to her. She had something to tell him.

'You are not a freak. You are my son, and I am so proud that you have become a wizard.'

The boy was flabbergasted. She couldn't be telling the truth. Had she finally turned insane after years of conflict? Then it dawned on him. Magic, she explained to him, was the reason why those strange things happened around him. Soon he would be able to control it. She also told him about a special school which he could go to which would teach him more about magic, about the place where wizards and witches shopped, about the bank ran by Goblins, the dragons that were in the wild and the Ministry of Magic, which kept the wizarding world secret. The boy listened, awestruck, as she told him of the wizarding world and for the first time in his life, he felt special.

The boy awoke earlier the next day for school, feeling hopeful, a feeling he had never felt before. He wasn't going to let anyone else spoil today for him, but unfortunately Joseph Morgan had other ideas. Stung that he had gotten into trouble and 'that other boy' had just been given a warning, Joseph decided that today would be the day for his revenge. Joseph gathered a group of friends and spread the plan that they would all corner 'Hook Nose' at lunch.

The young wizard was blissfully unaware of this plot against him, but when he left the building at lunchtime he was cornered by no less than twelve boys. They started calling him names and pushing him, but it quickly escalated into a fight. The teacher who was supposed to be watching over the children had taken a cigarette break around the corner from the fight, and saw nothing. The boy was hit repeatedly, so much so that the small groups of girls who had been giggling at him while he was cornered were now worried. Joseph knew he had gone too far but it was too late now. He was about to call off his friends and try to pass this beating off as a joke when he felt something white hot streak across his chest.

Joseph collapsed to the ground and began to bleed. Not just from his chest, but from lots of cuts and slashes which just seemed to have appeared from nowhere. His friends yelled and ran for a teacher, but it was too late, Joseph was flat on his back in a pool of his own blood, coughing up more each second. An adult who was passing by the school lent the teacher her phone. The teacher stabbed in the number for the emergency services with shaking hands and requested an ambulance.

The young wizard stood stock still, rooted to the spot. He only wished that Joseph and his friends would go away, he didn't want to hurt them. He saw everything happen in slow motion. The ambulance appeared, its siren sounding as though it was going off from far away, and it wasn't alone. The ambulance was escorted by two police cars, flashing against the gloomy grey sky. Out of the corner of his eye he saw sobbing and screaming children being escorted away, back into the building, and he also saw one child point to him, telling the teacher who was responsible for Joseph's injuries. The young wizard took this as a warning and fled.

He ran as fast as he could, tears streaming down his face, not looking back at the school. He had no idea where to run to, he could run home and explain to his mother, she would understand, she would protect him. He ran home to find a police car waiting for him there.

With not enough evidence to convict him, (and a few memories modified) the boy wasn't charged but this started another argument between his parents, his father was disgusted that he had hurt somebody else, but his mother was proud that her son had stood up for himself against those 'Muggles', as she called them. The young wizard slept late that night, due to another argument from downstairs, but that wasn't the only reason. He felt a tremendous guilt pass over him, making him feel trapped and alone. The next morning he walked down to the park to get some fresh air, he was just passing by some bushes when he heard a giggle. He peeped over the top of the bush when he saw her.

A young girl was swinging high into the air, ignoring her elder sister's nagging. Her amber-coloured hair blazed in the air like fire as she swung in the nearly deserted playground. He found himself rooted to the spot, unable to take his eyes off her, as she let go of the swing in mid-air and floated down to the ground. He noticed her sister telling her off and then looking on in astonishment as the girl made a flower open and close like a mouth. The young wizard couldn't stop himself; he came out from behind the bushes to speak with her.

'I know what you are,' he muttered to her.

'What do you mean?' she replied, looking puzzled at this strangely dressed boy who had started speaking to her.

'You're… you're a witch,' he whispered to her.

The girl looked scandalized.

'How dare you!' she yelled, storming off with her sister. He ran after her, his face flushed, until he caught them up.

'You are,' he explained. 'You can use magic. My mum is a witch and I'm a wizard.'

The girl's older sister laughed unkindly.

'You're not a wizard. You live on Spinner's End. Why were you spying on us?' she said scathingly.

'I'm not spying,' he retorted angrily. 'I wouldn't spy on you anyway, you're a muggle.'

Her sister stormed off, taking the young witch with her. The boy ran after them both.

'I'm really sorry,' he said, over and over, until they had reached the girls house, where the older sister slammed the door in his face. He retreated down the pathway dejectedly, until he heard the door open.

The girl with red hair was there, in front of him.

'Am I really a witch?' she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

'Yes you are. I'm a wizard too. What's your name?' he replied.

'Lily Evans.' She said, sounding a little nervous. 'What's yours?'

'Severus Snape.' He replied, sounding more than a little nervous.

'Tell me about the magical world, Severus. I know a secret place so no one will hear, and even Tuney doesn't know where it is.' She said brightly, beaming at Severus. Severus nodded and followed her down the path.

Severus told her everything his mother had told him, about the shopping alley, the goblin bank and the Ministry of Magic. Lily was enthralled; she had never heard of these things. Severus was happier than he ever had been, but that came to change when he returned home to find his father storming up the street with his bags packed.

Tobias Snape had had enough of this 'magic' in the house. He decided it was best to leave awhile ago, but he always stayed for Severus' sake. He had begun to see that Severus was more like his bitch of a mother than like his father. Tobias swore to get rid of this freaky 'magic' behavior and was astounded when his wife Eileen had told him she was a witch while she was pregnant.

Severus' eyes filled with tears as his father stormed away, and remembered his one and only friend, Lily Evans, and how fun it would be for them both at Hogwarts. A few weeks later Severus found himself standing alone with his mother on platform Nine and Three Quarters, looking over at Lily and her family, and a feeling of envy flashed over him as her stared at her normal parents, who weren't making snide comments to each other under their breath or picking arguments. The scarlet train appeared amidst steam clouds, and he walked towards the train, alone, until he felt a small hand grab his. He smiled, and boarded the train, hoping that he could always be this blissfully happy.

This is my first fanfiction, so please review )


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